VFE Pedals Alpha Dog

VFE Pedals

The latest evolution of the Alpha Dog (formerly called the El Ratón) refines this overdrive-distortion to make it the ultimate dirt box for the lead guitarist. The Alpha Dog uses 5 filtering caps to tweak the treble response in the different clipping modes, making the tone of each mode perfectly suited for the type of clipping being used. The FAT control alone opens up many overdrive tones the original could never do, and the dual clipping switches -- one for distortion & one for overdrive -- make this a truly versatile boost / overdrive / distortion / fuzz circuit. I also use the original LM308N precision op amp for the truest vintage tone. Below is a breakdown of each control:

DISTORTION: Controls the amount of gain in the circuit. More gain = more distortion.

FILTER: This control is a simple high-cut filter. Clockwise = more treble, counterclockwise = less treble. Rolloff point range: 340Hz to FLAT

LEVEL: Controls the overall output of the Alpha Dog.

FAT: This control affects a low-cut filter in the gain stage. Turning it clockwise increases the low end response, but decreases overall gain. Counterclockwise increases gain, but decreases low end response. Rolloff point range: 70Hz to 1.5kHz.

SOFT: This 3-way clipping switch toggles between germanium (G), mosfet (M), and diode lift (L) modes. These clipping options use a softer clipping configuration. Both clipping switches are completely independent from each other.

INTERNAL CONTROL: There is one primary internal trimpot I call the SYMMETRY control, which only affects the G clipping mode. Go from very asymmetrical, octave-esque tones, all the way to clean-boost simply by tweaking this control.